Red Dawn Goes Korean: Digitally-Manipulated Political Correctness

They call it the “dream factory”. Hollywood, they say, is where any dream can be made to appear to come true. Apparently that is still the case: The Los Angeles Times just reported that MGM has magically transformed the villains in the soon-to-be-released remake of the legendary John Milius film Red Dawn from Chinese to North Korean. The change in bad guys was accomplished by creating a new opening sequence summarizing the back story, by re-editing two scenes and by using digital technology to transform many Chinese symbols to Korean. All this cost only about $1 million in additional post-production costs. The LA Times reports that these post-facto changes will not completely eliminate references to China, but it puts North Korea in the lead role in the coalition that invades CONUS. The movie had been “in the can” for more than a year, but the release was stalled, because of MGM’s bankruptcy. But as MGM Corporation crawled up out of the dustbin with new financing (partly from overseas) and a new foreign distribution arrangement, it had a very inconvenient problem: Red Dawn was still waiting for release. Rather than facing another fiasco of Heaven’s Gate proportions, MGM’s management decided to finagle their way out, digitally.

Producer Tripp Vinson was quoted as saying: “We were initially very reluctant to make any changes, but after careful consideration we constructed a way to make a scarier, smarter and more dangerous ‘Red Dawn’ that we believe improves the movie”. I have nothing but contempt for this sycophantic political back-pedaling. So did also going to digitally change the Chinese soldiers’ facial features to look Korean? Did MGM’s “careful consideration” include the management reminding them that Sony now has a stake in the newly-reorganized MGM? And is it it just a coincidence that the Chinese government is now “co-investing” with Sony? I think not.

Are we supposed to blithely accept the digital legerdemain of removing the familiar “Eight One” chop mark of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and substituting some hangul squiggles? The whole concept is absurd. North Korea has an army that numbers just over one million men and women with a largely fictitious 7.7 million member “reserve” force. (The latter is a paper tiger, armed mostly with T-54 and T-55 tanks that won’t start, SKS and Mosin Nagant rifles, and even some ersatz solid wood “rifles” for parade drills.) The North Koreans also have virtually NO blue water transport fleet. They would have trouble successfully invading the 38,600 square miles of South Korea, much less the 3.79 million square miles of the United States. Contrast that with China’s three million PLA troops and at least some naval transport, and a huge fleet of container ships. Even portraying the PLA would be stretch for an invasion force, but putting Uncle Kim’s Army in the lead role is absolutely laughable.

I find this whole charade reminiscent of the novel 1984, where military alliances were changed at a whim. But for MGM to change a completed film in post production is a new twist. If they can make changes this dramatic via digital manipulation, then I wonder what other changes we could see made to existing movies. This makes Ted Turner’s “colorizing” black and white films seem tame, by comparison. I predict that there will be a huge interest in the obsessive Bit Torrent geek world in comparing the pre-Korean and post-Korean versions of the movie. (Sort of like the folks that enjoy comparing doctored Soviet photographs.) MGM’s digital wizards are giving new meaning to both the terms “political correctness” and “historical revisionism.”

I wonder how Chris Hemsworth and Josh Peck (cast as Jed and Matt Eckert in the new movie) will feel about all this, when they attend the premiere showing. “Dang, I thought we were fightin’ the Chinese!”

A closing thought: May God have mercy on any nation that ever attempts to invade the United States. To quote the lead character in my novel “Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse”: “Come back if you dare. And when you do, you’d better bring a lot of ammo, plenty of extra grub, and a good supply of body bags, because you’re going to be in for a deuce of a gun fight.”

Economics and Investing:

F.G. suggested this: Golden Years–People have had a fascination with gold for thousands of years. Here are some milestones along the way.

C.D.V. sent this bit of gloomage: Mandatory Spending to Exceed all Federal Revenues — 50 Years Ahead of Schedule.

From John R.: Europe debt risk hits $2.5 trillion

Items from The Economatrix:

The Silver Door Is Closing

Sprotts On Silver — The Door Is Closing     

14 Reasons Why The Economic Collapse Of Japan Has Begun  

Around The World Graphs 

Odds ‘n Sods:

This headline may remind readers of a prescient article that they read in September, 2010 in SurvivalBlog: Spent nuke fuel pool may be boiling, further radiation leak feared. Note that most spent fuel ponds are typically NOT housed the same heavy duty containment vessels as reactors. Thus, they pose a greater contamination risk than reactors!

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Reader Troy H. sent this: No looting going on in Japan. Troy’s comment: “I think this article gives credence to your idea that having a morally unified community (e.g. your fellow retreaters, your small rural town, etc.) increases your chances of survival significantly. (Besides, it make life much more enjoyable!) [The experience in Japan] also provides us an example for us as a nation.”

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I heard that Ready Made Resources just received 10 of the scarce 7-day storage food units from Mountain House. As I’m sure most SurvivalBlog readers are aware, in the past three months Mountain House foods have been very hard to find “in captivity.” (Note: These are in such short supply that they are still listed as “Out of Stock” on the web site–but they actually do have a few! Phone them for details. Jump on these, before they sell out. OBTW, I also recommend Alpen Aire brand storage foods. (Since they are of comparable quality.)

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My editor at Penguin Books sent me some updates about my book “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It”: There are now 132,000 copies of the book in print, and it has gone through 11 printings. She mentioned that there will soon be a Romanian edition. Thus, there are now ten foreign publishing contracts in place to produce editions in nine languages. With the recent calamitous events in Japan, the book is again climbing the sales ranks on Amazon, up to #75 overall and #1 in the “Survival Skills” category, as of Wednesday morning. That’s not bad for a book that had been in print for 18 months.

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I just heard that Martin A. Armstrong has finally been released from prison, but he is still under house arrest. His latest newsletter (presumably the last one that will be produced on a typewriter) was quite interesting.

Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 33 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and B.) Two cases of Alpine Aire freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $400 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 250 round case of 12 Gauge Hornady TAP FPD 2-3/4″ OO buckshot ammo, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $240 value), and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, C.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and D.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.) , and B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value.

Round 33 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

A Firearms Battery on a Budget, by J.J.K.

There has been a lot written about firearms in a SHTF scenario. Plenty of information about which firearms are the “best” and which calibers are the “best” and so on. I have no interest in proceeding on that same tack. If you have the money, you can make any firearm choices you want, and if you have the time and authority, you can coordinate with those who are likely to show up to your retreat. Neither of these is possible in our personal situation.

My wife and I have both been unemployed for well over a year. My unemployment is about to run out, and she never qualified. Despite our best attempts, neither of us is holding out much hope of getting a job before a crisis hits. Odd jobs and the occasional selling of personal items has been the only way we’ve been able to supplement our income. The bright spot in our situation is that my father-in-law owns a farm well out into the country, and well away from any major highways. When we first realized that things weren’t going to be getting better (about a year ago), we proceeded on the assumption that our family would be moving up to his farm. Before I get any comments about this, we are not just “dropping in,” my father-in-law  has been aware of our plans, and approved of them from the beginning. We have food, supplies, firearms and ammunition already stored in place. My brother-in-law and his family have finally jumped into prepping with a vengeance (after almost a year of hedging) and his family now has the same plan. Since then, and with the agreement of my father-in-law, a few others have been accepted into our retreat group. I bring this up to highlight the personality clashes that will contribute to the problems within our planning.

Now we arrive at the root of our problem. Before last year we had just one firearm, a .22 rifle. My brother-in-law and our other retreat members had none. When our plans started, it was suggested that there are enough firearms at the farmhouse for our needs. They are: three hunting rifles in three different calibers, two 12-gauge shotguns, one 20-gauge, two shotguns in .410 caliber, and five or six .22 rifles. In addition there are six revolvers in four different calibers. So aside from the .22 rifles, there is essentially no cohesion between calibers. If we were to rely on those rifles, providing sufficient ammunition for all of them all would be too expensive for us to manage.

My wife and I made a decision fairly early on to standardize. We were going to stick with .223 for battle rifle purchases, only buy 12-gauge shotgun shells, and limit small arms to 9mm. There can be complete novels written about how good or bad our choices were, but that is what we decided based in part on ammunition cost. After purchasing our first AR-15, it became apparent that our group couldn’t afford the AR-15 as a standard. So after much discussion, we changed our battle rifle to 7.62×39. The ammunition cost is comparable to .223, and the rifle is affordable to the monetary-challenged. Unfortunately my brother-in-law chose to go in his own direction. He has the most disposable income of anybody in our group, and we are still encouraging him to pick up an AKM clone for standardization reasons, but his most recent purchase was a .308 caliber battle rifle.

We have three rifles in 7.62×39, still the two 12-gauge shotguns, and two 9mm pistols. So there is an attempt at standardization. But due to monetary constraints and personality conflicts, we have not had a great number of new firearms purchased, and therefore still have a plethora of calibers to attempt to store. My wife and I are trying to stick to our plan on purchasing only a few calibers, but we have agreed that even if it’s just one box of ammo per revolver, it still makes sense to have something available for them to shoot.

Despite every preppers best attempts, not everybody is going to be as well standardized as the main group in “Patriots”. We wish our retreat was as well-prepared as theirs, but unless that lucky lotto ticket comes our way, we are not likely to be able to match that level of preparations. Instead we have accepted that scrounging and trading will become part of the way of life after the SHTF. However the means by which you acquire them, you cannot count of the firearms you may come across to fall into your standard classifications. If you have the money and space, you may want to store some common-caliber ammunition for firearms you do not own. If nothing else it can be traded. But it may mean that the additional weapon for your retreat can be used as more than just a high-tech club.

There are four primary lessons here:

Lesson One: Training. Make sure that everybody in your group has at least a basic understanding of whatever your standard firearms are. In our case, we have a week-long retreat planned in a few months, and every adult member will be learning to field-strip and clean the AR-15 platform and the AKM platform. The AKM is essentially our standard battle rifle, and if something happens, the three owners can not be the only retreat members who are able to use them. The AR-15 platform is essential because if the absolute worst happens, as in Patriots, it is arguable that the two platforms most likely to be used by our opponents would be the AKM series or the AR-15 series.

Lesson Two: Logistics. While budget is the unfortunate master of all purchases, it is still a good idea to try to maintain a sufficient supply of ammunition. Even if you are reloading, you are looking at a finite supply of ammunition for your weapons. (Black powder muzzle loaders being an exception if your retreat has the powder elements nearby.) You cannot assume that you will be able to resupply your ammunition. What you have stored is it. So you should focus your efforts on the firearms which give you the best bang for your buck. 7.62×39 is by no means as good a round as 7.62×51 NATO, but it is far more affordable in the amount required. I still think buying non-standard ammunition is a good idea, but focus on the fact that ammunition cannot be replaced once used and plan your purchases accordingly.

Lesson Three: Planning. Now is the time to get your planning done with regards to firearms. Most people are familiar with the firearms they own. There are far less people familiar with firearms they don’t own. It is possible in a SHTF scenario that you will acquire weapons one way or another, and there is no guarantee that it will be a firearm anybody in your retreat group is familiar with. What we have done is downloaded the field-stripping and cleaning instructions for a variety of firearms that we don’t own. We printed them out and placed them in the same binder that has the field manuals for our own rifles. We focused primarily on those firearms that are calibers we are storing, but certain firearms were chosen based on their popularity. Former military standard rifles and handguns are a good place to start. Based on the CMP sales, we have included the M- Garand and the M1 Carbine in our binder. The M1911A1 was also an obvious choice. Will we be coming across these after the SHTF? Maybe we will, maybe not. But if we do, we have the manual that would allow us to clean and maintain them, so we can use them if the need arises.

Lesson Four: Relax. You may have people in your retreat that are obstinate. There isn’t a whole lot you can do about it, especially if you don’t have the authority or the heart to exclude them. Remember your faith and take it all with a grain of salt. We had one person who allowed his personal desire to override our attempt for everybody to have a standard battle rifle. Two others did not and purchased an AKM clone. This is not the best result, but under the circumstances it was pretty good. And in all honesty, that .308 battle rifle is going to do wonders for our ability to “reach out and touch someone.” When you are prepping on a limited budget, you have to take things as they come instead of how you wish them to be. Think of it as training for after SHTF when everybody is going to have to develop that skill.

Could our firearms preparations need better coordination? I would say yes. Are our standards the best choices? I would say overall, no. Is it the best we can do with our limited personal income and the loose cohesiveness of the retreat group? In that I would have to say yes.

If you are despairing at the inability to match the outstanding preparations that you read about so often, remember that you are not alone. Budget yourself, do what you can, and prepare. It’s better to prepare as best you can than not prepare at all.

Prepper Turnout Gear, by Vincent H.

When I use the term turnout gear what does that mean to you?  If you’re a fire fighter this brings to mind the boots, pants and coat you don before you battle a fire.  If you’re at your retreat, or even your home, this is the gear you quickly throw on to address an unexpected problem.  In this post I hope to cover some gear I have decided would be beneficial to have under these circumstances and what I have acquired to use in this situation.

The best example I can use to reference this problem to everyone is well illustrated in JWR’s novel “Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse” (which I can assume everyone has read since you are on this blog.)  During the night a group of raiders/ thieves come to the Groups retreat with the intention of taking things they have no right to have.  In the book the alert person on LP/OP recognizes and identifies the threat alerts the others, who are sleeping, and they repel the bad guys by force and let God sort the rest of it out.

Now this situation has got me thinking, if I was at my retreat and some bad hombres came a knocking how would I answer the door?  While I’m perfectly comfortable fighting in my Scooby-Doo boxer shorts why not get into the fight a little better prepared?

What I have done is acquire a set of coveralls (mechanic’s coveralls work great, or if you want to call yourself Maverick you can find surplus flight suits for sale) a few sizes larger than my body type to throw on in a hurry.  I made sure they were roomy enough to get on quickly, but not so big that I looked like a kid in Dad’s coat.  Coveralls come in snap-up and zipper design, for quicker access I recommend the zip up style.  Most of these coveralls are made in twill or cotton and are very reasonable, but if you feel the need to get some flame retardant coveralls the above mentioned flight suit or even some tactical coveralls are out there to cover that need.

Next I acquired a pair of zip-up boots that also go on in a hurry.  I was lucky enough to find a pair of boots, Bates Durashocks, that come in a straight lace up style and the same but with a zipper on the side for quick slip on.  I like these boots because they are sturdy, comfortable and resole-able.  These are the boots I currently wear for everyday use so the nice thing about having the zip-up boots is that they are the same style that my feet are used to.  This makes it feel like I’m wearing my everyday boots, which has fooled my feet into thinking they are always in the same boots all the time.  Now if you are wondering why I am taking the time for boots I offer these two thoughts: one, are you ever going to the shooting range in your bare feet?  Why not?  Because you don’t want to walk over hot brass anymore than I do.  If this is a TEOTWAWKI situation a bad burn or cut on your foot could become infected and lead to medical issues that are not as easily resolved in a grid down scenario.  Plus this puts you on “light duty” for a while and we are trying to minimize that as much as possible.  Second, while I support staying put in an assigned defensive position while under siege I have also asked the question, what if those banditos just grabbed someone in your group and are trying to kidnap them?  While I have no reservations about chasing those bad men/women while wearing the aforementioned Scooby-Doo boxers and my bare feet I would prefer to go at it with proper foot wear.  I think this also answers the question of slipping on un-laced boots or a slipper. Another situation to consider is if your location is no longer viable and you need to evacuate.  If your location is on fire or the situation has degraded to a point where leaving, i.e. making a hasty but “tactical” retreat then having essentials (and clothes) on you makes it easier until you can make it to one of your caches. 

The third piece of equipment I have in my turnout gear is a tactical vest.  They have tactical vests that zip up in the front and that have numerous other pouches that I can fill with whatever I deem essential, magazines, knives and even a pistol.  These vests come in different styles and prefigured configurations, whatever suits you individually, for the dollar conscious person. 

If you are just looking for a vest to serve this purpose they make some for every price range from high dollar, but high quality, Blackhawk, to less expensive brands.  The point is having spare ammo on you, as well as placing magazines at shooting locations, gives you the ability to have some in the event you need to move or you even run out of your supply of stationed magazines.

I have a tactical vest that also has belt anchor points around the bottom of it which allows me attach a nylon pistol belt directly to the vest.  I use this to hold my pistol holster, because I always carry a pistol on my strong side hip, and I like carrying my sidearm in the same manner in which I have trained all these years.  Also by adding a quick connecting belt to this rig you add additional attachment points for other pieces of gear. If you are looking to add body armor to your tactical vest I must warn you that I have seen several different styles of tactical vest carriers and the majority of them utilize a cummerbund support belt beneath that, while adds a level of comfort and stability, adds additional time to getting yourself into a state of hurried preparedness.  If I have plenty of time to get ready I would put on one of these on, but the point of this article is placing yourself in a state of readiness as quickly as possible.

The last piece of the solution that I highly recommend is practice.  Lay out your gear so that you can quickly grab it and put it on.  Lie in bed and practice jumping up and getting your gear on (if you can get away with it without getting banished to the couch by the wife set an alarm and run this drill in the middle of your sleep cycle.)  Think about how you sleep and how you get up, place your gear in a place that makes the most sense (and won’t trip you or the wife if you have to make a midnight bathroom trip) for you to get at in a hurry.  While you can never 100 percent prepare for the real deal building up muscle memory ahead of time will reduce fumbling during crunch time.  With several practice sessions you can be dressed and at the ready with a weapon in hand in seconds.

Now some of you might say that you would just sleep in your BDUs and be ready to jump up to the fight, but I question if any of us will be sleeping in full pants and shirt in the middle of the summer, especially after months of monotony and long hard days of work during the day.  Even soldiers will tell you that while on patrol in “hostile” areas they sleep in full gear in case a firefight breaks out, but even in areas declared a combat zone they don’t sleep in their combat gear while they are safely behind the wire.

Another use for this turnout gear is for when the SHTF.  Not all of the TEOTWAWKI situations that we might find ourselves in are slow starting, like an economic collapse.  Some situations we might find ourselves in are quickly transpiring (a natural or celestial disaster, or the impending zombie invasion) and throwing gear on quickly could make bugging out faster.  Even going so far as to keep a pair of boots, which has been mentioned before by others on this blog, in a bag and a pair of coveralls in your trunk could be useful.  I would like to think that while I quietly prepare for any conceivable future I also don’t deny myself admiring and living in the splendor of God’s world.  For example if you take the family to the beach and suddenly the situation changes in some cataclysmic way being able to change from my flip fops and swimming trunks into boots and coveralls makes things a whole lot better in my mind.  So I have placed an extra pair of boots, coveralls, and under garments in a small gym bag next to my B.O.B. in my trunk, because I would rather have it and not need it then need it and not have it.  

I hope this article is useful to some of you out there since I have been able to get so much useful information from SurvivalBlog that I hope this gives at least a little piece back.

Letter Re: Preparedness at Your Workplace

Mr. Rawles,
As a regular reader of your blog, I have seen little mentioned about one obvious “bug in” solution that most people overlook, which would be their office or work site. This will not work for everyone but please allow me to provide you with my own experience.

We have a small warehouse/office operation of about 2,000 square feet. There are 2 offices, a basic bathroom, and a small room previously used as a lunch room for the employees of the other tenant. These rooms take up about 400 square feet of space from the total 2,000 square feet. The warehouse also has a mezzanine area above the office rooms for about 400 square feet of extra storage.

Our small warehouse is located about 20 minutes outside the downtown core of a major city. In a SHTF scenario, people will be driving away from these industrial areas trying to get home. Also, government control will be focused on high density population areas of the city, not the industrial areas on the outskirts of a city.

In our warehouse I always have on hand around 3 months worth of food. How do I store it without being noticed? Well, I simply build what I call a rolling work bench. I build a plywood box that is 48” square and 30” tall and stores my “tools” in it. I use the flat top as an actual work bench during daily use. I put heavy duty caster wheels on it for easy movement. I put locks on the front door of this box so nobody else can access it (people accept the explanation of locking your tools up). The box itself is light enough (once emptied of contents) that I can lift it myself onto my pickup truck with the extra rope handles I built into it.

My boss now knows what I am doing. I’ve been working with him for five years and he’s starting to see the light of being prepared as I’ve gradually got him thinking about it. It’s one thing to talk about it, but when I showed him my “stash” in the warehouse he got very interested! He had no idea that such a large amount of preps could be “concealed” in what is literally a 4’x4’ rolling, portable, plywood box that he thought was a work bench (and it is a work bench/table). He was amazed that I had taken it upon myself to “prep” the warehouse at my expense. I could see he was thinking about what to do at his house without alarming his wife and daughter. We all know that “prepper education” takes time.

I’ll describe some of the contents of my warehouse prep box.

  • A 45 lb, 7 day bug out backpack with pellet gun & other defenses.
  • Two“grab-n-go” emergency 5 gallon food buckets (my own design).
  • Large Rubbermaid container with bulk food items. Too many to list.
  • Another container with food, clothes, and various cooking utensils.
  • Other items include extra fuel, guns, and more food.
  • Coleman stove and several cans of fuel.
  • Small propane bottles with accessories.
  • Rope… lots of it. – 2 coils each of 100 feet.
  • Tools… folding shovels, small axes and multi-tool knives
  • Three different types of sharpening tools.
  • Portable Rocket Stove which I made myself.

As I look into the storage box, I’m sure I’m forgetting something on the above list. Anyway, this is just a picture of what I store where I work, all in a 4’x4’ plywood box on wheels that everyone thinks is my tool crib and work bench. – A Prepper in Alberta

JWR Adds: Beware of storing packaged foods and volatile fuel or chemicals in the same space. Otherwise, you may end up with ramen noodles that taste like white gas.

FWIW, back when I worked in the corporate world, I took full advantage of my locking file cabinets. The back one-third of several of the lower drawers held nondescript-looking brown cardboard boxes that were full of preparedness gear and food. I also took advantage of the dead space in my cubicle walls. At one of my jobs I had my office on the 11th floor of a 14-storey office tower. I kept a gas mask, a Swiss seat, a couple of oval carabiners, and 150 feet of kernmantle rope in my office. I felt ready for fires, but I wondered how I would explain all of my gear if I was ever "shown the door", on short notice.

Letter Re: Low-Light Tactics and Options

Officer Tackleberry’s recent article was a rarely touched upon subject in the tactical world. People like to train what they are good at and not what they aren’t so good at. Low-light takes a lot more work for a variety of reasons. I hope to add a bit to Tackleberry’s very useful article. I will attempt to not be too redundant, as Tackleberry did a very good job of describing techniques and principles… perhaps we can overlap in a beneficial way.

When activating your tactical light, be it handheld or weapon-mounted, always have the light pointed at, or nearly at what you want to illuminate and not at the “low-ready” or at the ground (yes, even with a weapon-mounted light… more on that later). Particularly when using any of the techniques that mate the hand holding the light and the gun (like with the “Harries”), and when using a weapon-mounted light, do not activate the light before bringing the light/gun up to illuminate what you want to illuminate or you will “draw” a path from you to the bad guy. Gun/light come up, then you activate the light. This principle still applies with the other techniques Tackleberry mentions… the reasoning being you are wasting time by bringing the light up and possibly specifically pointing at where you are standing with your light giving the bad guy more time to acquire you as the target!

Perhaps more critical is that you should use your light in very short bursts of light, as in roughly two to three seconds at a maximum… otherwise you risk becoming a bullet magnet (strobing might be an exception to this). Once the light has been brought up, then activated, you will scan with the light in the various techniques Tackleberry brought up for that (maximum) of two to three seconds, then the light should go off, and then MOVE! I cannot stress this part enough. Moving one step or two is usually not enough, though if that is all you have, then it is better than standing still. In drills with students, a light is activated in pitch black from somewhere in the 360 degrees around them for less than a second, then the light goes off, and they almost universally point to within 0-3 feet of where the light was… and that’s at a distance of 20+ yards to the light! In a normal living room this means they would pinpoint you! This would suggest that you should move more than that three feet to avoid their incoming fire once your light goes off.

About weapon-mounted lights… on handguns I am a firm believer in them though there are legitimate preferences on both sides of that preference. You should most definitely know the other non-weapon-mounted techniques as well. They compliment each other nicely. In my experience and in training others with varying levels of training I have found that target acquisition speed and accuracy are both greatly enhanced with a weapon-mounted light. This keeps you alive! The weapon mounted light allows you to focus on shooting the weapon and not on manipulating a light. This applies to both handguns and long guns. On long guns I would say it is more critical as weapons retention and driving the gun to the target (and any subsequent ones) are significantly faster and more solid than if you were using a hand-held light. The legitimate issues Tackleberry brought up about accidentally shooting someone due to a weapon-mounted light are negated with proper training. Remember that most cops don’t train outside of their department’s mandatory training and often that is lacking (not knocking cops, as I’m one, but it’s the sad truth).

As far as light selection, I will say don’t skimp on quality lights. There are legitimate reasons beyond brand names that Surefire and Streamlight charge $100+ (often upwards of $300!) for most of their lights. Briefly, as far as handgun mounted lights go, I would think the Surefire X300 is the dominant one in the market for good reason as of now… though I would strongly recommend mating it to the “DEVGRU” type switch that allows you to keep your natural firing grip while activating the light. For long-guns, I would also recommend Surefire’s X300 or Scout lights mounted as close to the 12 o’clock on the gun as possible, though other locations work well too.

All in all train with what you have. If all you have is grandpa’s worn out revolver and a 4-cell MagLite, you can still dominate your adversary with the proper mindset and training!

Psalm 144:1, God Bless! – PPPP

Economics and Investing:

The latest at Dr. Housing Bubble: The financial psychology of negative equity – 1,880,000 California mortgage holders have no equity in their homes. California home prices will fall 15 to 25 percent in the coming years. 1 out of 3 California mortgage holders at risk of walking away or defaulting.

What’s the Difference Between 1 Gold Karat, 1 Diamond Carat and 1 Troy Ounce?

Ben S. suggested this: Normal Interest Rates Would be a Disaster for U.S. Debt

Items from The Economatrix:

Fears of a Slowdown in Japan Push Stocks Lower  

Quake Selloff Wipes $287 Billion Off Tokyo Stock Market  

Tangible Commodities Rule as Dollar Tumbles  

The Economic Aftershock of Japan  

The Rule of Gold After Financial Collapse 

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader J.B.G. sent this: Panic Buying Adds to Shortages After Japan Quake. JWR’s Comment: I predict that next they’ll try to cast blame on folks that stocked up before the earthquake. (True “hoarding” is something that occurs after a the onset of a crisis.) Meanwhile, in Tokyo: Japan’s nuclear emergency prompts panic buying in Tokyo

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Don’t miss this essay by Victor Davis Hanson: The Fragility of Complex Societies. (Thanks to Z. for the link.)

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Six Lessons for Preppers from the Japanese Earthquake / Tsunami / Nuclear Meltdown Disaster

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Reader Jim V. wrote to mention that the now dominant school of thought is that Potassium Iodate (KIO3), Potassium Iodide (KI) or other thyroid blockers for radiological events are not recommend for anyone over 40. Oh, and for the No Great Surprise Department: Potassium Iodide Runs Low as Americans Seek It Out. This underlines one of our mantras: “Better a year early, than a day late.”

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Given the high standard of living in Japan, I predict that in the next few weeks we may see some unofficial and very quiet refugees coming to the United States, via commercial airliners. They will declare themselves “on a vacation”, but they will actually be here on a long term “radiation vacation.”

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"You control your future, your destiny. What you think about comes about. By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be. Put your future in good hands: your own." – Motivational speaker Mark Victor Hansen

Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 33 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and B.) Two cases of Alpine Aire freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $400 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 250 round case of 12 Gauge Hornady TAP FPD 2-3/4″ OO buckshot ammo, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $240 value), and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, C.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and D.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.) , and B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value.

Round 33 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

What is a Well-Stocked First Aid Kit?, by K.M.

We’ve all heard the admonition: “You need to have a well-stocked first aid kit!” The first step to following that advice is an understanding exactly of what “well-stocked” means.

Recently, I read an article on SurvivalBlog about a man who treated his wife for a serious arm laceration during an ice storm. After running out of bandages, he was forced to drive to the store in dangerous weather conditions to get more supplies. I posted a response to the article that elicited an e-mail asking, “Well, what does a good first aid kit contain?”

Let me start with some background information. About six years ago, I started a company that supplies businesses with CPR training, first aid, and emergency products. This experience has taught me some valuable lessons. First, the number of bandages used in an average office is staggering. Either there must be a terrible problem with paper cuts and stapling accidents that I just didn’t know about, or workers choose to use their office’s first aid kit instead of the one at home (if they even have a kit at home). Second, some items that should only be used on rare occasions are disappearing from office kits needlessly. For example, alcohol prep wipes should primarily be used for cleaning the skin before injections or for eliminating the sticky residue after bandage removal (If you have a laceration or abrasion and use an alcohol prep wipe to clean it, you must be a masochist!). Third, and more to the point, I was surprised to learn that there is no such thing as a “standard” first aid kit. Although there are a few organizations that make recommendations or list minimum requirements (OSHA, AMA, ANSI, US Coast Guard, Red Cross), they refrain from using the word “standard.”

So there are guidelines to help us, but we often want additional advice. Indeed, when I am teaching my CPR/First Aid classes, I am often asked. “What kind of first aid kit should I have?” As a general rule, your kit should match your training, plus a little extra. When I sell first aid kits, I always ask the prospective purchaser two things. First, I want to know what kind of training they have received (and how long ago). Then I ask the big question….

“If someone were severely injured and or bleeding, would you come to their aid?”

If the answer to this question is no, or if they haven’t been trained in first-aid, then I sell them your basic over-the-counter 150-piece first aid kit. These kits are available anywhere and are little more than boo-boo kits, to fix life’s little cuts and scrapes. As an example of this type of kit is available from CVS Pharmacy and manufactured by Johnson and Johnson™; its self-described purpose is for the treatment of “Cuts & scrapes; Minor burns; Pain & swelling; Itch.” This 170-piece kit has 138 Band-Aids™, a few ointments, pads, wipes, and little else. If you were counting on this kit to save someone’s life in an emergency, then both you and the victim are in deep kimchee!

Preparedness and survival are our ultimate goals, so we need a larger variety of supplies that will actually be useful in a real life-or-death emergency. It is my hope that more people start investing in kits with more than just Band-Aids, and here’s why. If you’ve taken a first aid course in the last five years (and if you haven’t, shame on you), your instructor should have told you that after you’ve taken care of the victims’ primary needs (their ABCs – airway, breathing, and circulation), you need to look after their secondary needs (serious bleeding, shock, and spinal injuries). Your first aid instructor should have prepared you for the worst case scenario: when advanced emergency care is either delayed or unavailable, and you are the one who must provide extended care to the victim.

In addition to acknowledging what you know, consider where you live and what you do for recreational and vocational activities when gathering your supplies, a well stocked first aid kit should reflect your geographic region, activities, as well as, how many people you may need to treat. Of course there is a basic minimum for every occasion, but if it’s a kit you are building for a boat that sails off the coast of Florida, do you really need a “snake bite kit” or a “tick kit”? If you live in the desert southwest, do you really need vinegar for jellyfish stings? You wouldn’t take an eight pound “Mega Trauma” kit while backpacking, but you would certainly want a comprehensive kit at a survival retreat. A blister kit would be as out of place on a boat as an ice pack would be at the North Pole. Just as there is no single gun to fit all needs, so there is no one kit that will fill all medical necessities. But there is a place we can start. So let’s explore what an appropriate kit looks like.

I like to see these items in my ideal well-stocked first aid kit. Your kit may look different, but should generally include most of these items.

Note: With few exceptions, quantities are excluded because they will vary with the size of the kit, and people served. This list is not intended to be all inclusive, nor the only list should you consult.

  • A durable case – preferably with compartments for storage and ease of access.
  • A good First Aid reference manual – as a reminder of practices and protocols.
  • A card with emergency numbers (Poison Control, out-of-state contacts, etc.)
  • Gloves (latex or nitrile) – at least 2 pairs, to protect against contamination and pathogens.
  • CPR barrier – to protect against disease transmission.
  • Large absorbent dressings/AB pads (5”x9” or larger) – to stop or control bleeding.
  • Sterile gauze pads, various sizes – to stop bleeding and dress wounds.
  • Roll bandages, various sizes– to dress wounds.
  • Ace™-type roll compression bandage – for sprains and strains.
  • Self-adhesive bandages (Band-Aids™), various types and sizes – to dress minor wounds.
  • Steri-strips (butterfly bandages) – for closing wounds.
  • Adhesive tape – to dress wounds.
  • Non-adherent pads, various sizes – for burn wounds
  • Triangular bandages – for immobilization of dislocations and fractures.
  • Cotton-tipped swabs – for cleaning wounds, applying saves and ointments.
  • Bandage Sheers/EMT sheers – cutting bandages or victims’ clothing.
  • Tongue depressors – for checking throat issues and as small splinting applications.
  • Tweezers – for splinter removal.
  • Needle – to assist in removing foreign material.
  • Penlight – for emergency lighting and for examination.
  • Oral thermometer (non-glass) – to check vital signs.
  • Syringe or squeeze bottle – for irrigation of wounds.
  • Splinting material – for dislocations and fractures.
  • Emergency blanket – for warmth and treatment of shock.
  • Instant cold pack – for treatment of hyperthermia, sprains, dislocations and fractures.
  • Instant hot pack – for treatment of hypothermia and some stings and muscle strains.
  • Bio bags – for disposal of gloves and medical waste.
  • Eye cup – for aid in removal of foreign matter in the eye.
  • Eye solution – for eye contamination and aid in removing foreign matter from the eye.
  • Antibacterial soap – for cleaning wounds and hands after treatment.
  • Antiseptic solution or wipes – to clean wounds.
  • Antibiotic ointment – for wound treatment.
  • Hydrocortisone cream – for stings and irritations.
  • Burn gels and ointments – for treating burns.
  • Burn pads – for treating larger burns.
  • Ibuprofen – to reduce swelling and for patient comfort.
  • Antihistamine tablets – for allergic reactions.
  • Blood stopper powder – for stopping severe bleeding.
  • Pen and index cards – for annotating victim’s vital signs.
  • Hand sanitizer – when you can’t wash your hands with soap and water.
  • Mole Skin – for treatment of blisters and abrasions.

 

In addition to the above items, there is a list of “add-ons” that could be added to your first aid kit. These can vary greatly depending on your needs, locations, and activities. Some of these may require additional cost, training, or certifications:

  • Separate compete Burn Kit – for treating multiple or very serious burns.
  • Snake bite kit – for treating snake bites.
  • Israeli Battle Dressings – one of the best on the market for serious trauma.
  • Stethoscope – for listening to breathing and heartbeats.
  • Cervical collar – to immobilize the neck from possible further harm.
  • Foldable stretcher – for carrying victims unable to walk on their own.
  • Blood pressure cuff – to determine victim’s blood pressure.
  • Sutures – to close serious wounds.
  • Hemostats/Forceps – for closing major bleeding vessels or aid in suturing.
  • Automated External Defibrillator (AED) – to help with sudden cardiac arrest.
  • Scalpel – for removing tissue, minor surgery.
  • Blood borne pathogen kit – to assist in cleaning up.
  • Surgical masks – to prevent disease contamination and blood borne pathogens.
  • Eye shields / goggles – for eye protection.

There are also items / medications your victim may need (some of these may require a doctor’s prescription):

  • Asthma inhalers – for treatment of asthma.
  • Nitroglycerin – for the treatment of heart patients.
  • Aspirin – for treating heart patients.
  • Sugar pills – for diabetic stabilization.
  • Salt pills – for treatment of dehydration.
  • Imodium – for treatment of diarrhea.
  • TUMS – for gas and heartburn.
  • Epi Pen – for treatment of severe allergic reactions.
  • Eye drops – for tired or irritated eyes/contacts.

There are also non-medical items that can work well in a first aid kit:

  • Head lamp – for clearly seeing your work area.
  • Instant (Super) glue – to close wounds.
  • Tampons – for penetration or gunshots wounds and their primary function.
  • Glasses repair kit – to repair broken eye glasses.
  • Multi tool/Swiss Army knife– for multiple tasks.
  • Insect repellant wipes – to keep the bugs away.
  • Sun block – to prevent sunburn.
  • Lip balm – to prevent chapped lips.
  • Hand lotion – for dry and chapped hands and feet.
  • Talcum powder – for treatment of rashes and foot care.
  • Desitin™ ointment – for treatment of rashes and sore areas.
  • Hair comb – for removing items from victim’s hair and for hygiene.
  • Disposable razor – for cleaning treatment site or for personal hygiene.
  • Duct Tape – who couldn’t find a use for it?
  • Paracord 10’ – same as duct tape.

Now that we have everything and the kitchen sink, what items would I consider to be essential to any kit no matter what size?

  • Triangle bandage – has so many uses that it is a must have!
    • Sling, bandage wrap, splinting wrap, bandana, hat, baby diaper, water filter,  sarong, halter top, face shield, shade covering, blindfold, dust mask, tourniquet, pressure bandage, ankle wrap, foot covering, gloves, handkerchief, washcloth, wet and use tie around neck, belt, tie up a pony tail, basket, cold compress…Why do you think every cowboy wore a bandana?
  • Self adhesive bandages (Band-Aids™) in multiple sizes – there really is no good substitute.
  • Antibiotic ointment – secondary infection of a wound can be fatal.
  • Sterile gauze pads (various sizes) – many things can be improvised to slow or stop bleeding, but to properly dress a wound, a sterile covering is vital.

Now that you have gathered every conceivable medical essential, you will need a place to put it all. Ironically, your choice of container is almost as important as what goes into the kit. The size of the kit will be determined by several factors. Is it stationary, or will it be carried? Where will it be going? Where will it be stored? How much room do you have for the kit? Will its environment be wet or hot, or will it be jostled about? Here is a list of possible “non-standard” containers for your first aid kit.

  • Fishing tackle box
  • Tool kit
  • School lunch box
  • Electronics box
  • Ziploc™ bag
  • River rafting “Dry Bag”
  • Pelican™ “type” waterproof container
  • Rubbermaid™ “type” Storage container
  • Plastic office drawers
  • Zippered Nylon pouch/bag
  • Army surplus bag
  • Ammo can (painted with a big white cross so you don’t take the wrong can to the range)
  • Tupperware™ type containers
  • Cigar Box
  • Fanny pack
  • Small nylon/canvas backpack

A few final thoughts: Rotate, rotate, rotate! Just like food on your shelf, some of your first aid kit supplies have a “limited” shelf life. With frequently changing and expanding information on expiration dates, I will not advise you when to discard your “out of date” ointments, creams, and medicines. But what I would like to address are those items that people don’t often realize have a limited life span. Gloves are notoriously short lived, especially in hot environments like a car, RV, or boat. Check them at least once a year and replace when necessary. It is very frustrating to be half way through putting on a glove when it tears, and if you’ve done this a couple of times, the cut on your victims arm may be the least of his worries! Another item with a frustratingly short life time is the self-adhesive bandage. As Band-Aids™ get older, heat and age tends to breakdown the adhesive and it loses its cohesive strength. If a self-adhesive bandage can’t “stick,” it really serves no purpose.

Another consideration, your kit is as good as your training. If you haven’t taken a CPR/first aid course in a while, seek out a reputable instructor and take a comprehensive CPR/First Aid course. Also, once you assemble your kit, make sure it goes where you go. Like so many other aspects of preparedness, I follow the general rule, “It’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.” Now that you have a well-stocked first aid kit or two…or three, seek out opportunities to use it. If you show up to the company picnic or a family function carrying your first aid kit, there will be a few who ask sneeringly, “Hey are you expecting a disaster?” but when they need a bandage for a minor cut, or burn cream for a child’s finger, to whom do you think they will sheepishly turn to? They will turn to you, the nut that brought the first aid kit. And as you become more comfortable using your first aid kit in life’s little misadventures, you will be better suited to handle a big emergency if it is ever thrown at you.

Last, but certainly not least, is backing up your supplies. I keep large quantities on hand of most of the supplies I listed (Okay, well I sell first aid kits and supplies for a living, so I’d better have a few extra). If you have followed my advice and used your kits often, then you will occasionally need to re-stock. Having a larder somewhere to draw from makes the whole process easier. About once a year (more often if I’ve had a medium or large need), I will gather all of my kits into one place and do an inventory and re-stock my kits as needed. I gather them from my family’s cars, the BOB, the 72-hour kit, the range bag, the RV, and anywhere else I have them, and re-inventory, re-stock, and rotate out long expired meds and non-sticky bandages.

Many people assume that in a panic they may forget what they have learned and not be able to rise to the occasion if an emergency occurs. One of the things that I teach each of my classes is the Emergency First Response (EFR) axiom: “Adequate care provided is better than perfect care withheld.”  If that is a little too esoteric for you, then how about a quote attributed to General Patton: “A bad plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.”  Or if that’s still above your level of understanding, I like Larry the Cable Guy’s “Git ‘Er Done!”  Truer words have never been spoken.

References:
Emergency First Response Corp.  – Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) – Washington, DC
American National Standards Institute – Washington, DC
International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation  (ILCOR)

Low-Light Tactics and Options, by Officer Tackleberry

I have had some people ask how I as a police officer can defend the concealed carry rights for citizens and private gun ownership as a whole along with personally teaching firearms and self-defense to citizens.  To me the answer is an easy one.  I believe all of us have the God-given right to defend ourselves and our loved ones and firearms are a very good option in doing so.  I also believe that if there would have been citizens/students at the tragedy at Virginia Tech and other venues who were armed, trained and willing, then the death/injury tolls wouldn’t have been nearly as high.   Also at this time, police response times have increased significantly.  According to my latest research, the average response times in the US have increased from 8 minutes to 11.5 minutes.  That is a long time to wait for police if you have a desperate need.   I know that there are some that would argue against this statistic.  However, response times at my department have increased from just less than 5 minutes to 8 minutes, so I tend to believe it. Criminals like to strike when they have an advantage and they seem to do it a lot at night or in low-light settings, which is the premise for this article.  

Types of Lights

There are two main types of lights that I use personally, the LED and the incandescent.   The LED is the latest rage and justifiably so.  The LED has real good intensity for a compact size and can be found in 90-120 lumens for less than $100.  I have also used my LED to pierce smoke when looking for victims in an apartment fire.   While I do use my LED light a majority of the time, I also carry a small incandescent light on my belt as well.  I do this because the intensity level is not as high as the LED so the light tends not reflect a lot of glare back towards my eyes when I use it.  I found this to be especially true when I was tracking suspects through the woods at night.  When using the LED, any adjustment that my eyes had made to the dark woods was gone.  But when I used the incandescent, I was still able to keep most of my night vision.  

Operating the Light

In this article I am focusing on hand-held lights, not weapon-mounted lights, and there predominantly two ways to operate the light: the side activation switch and the tail-cap switch.  In fact, the tail-cap activated light is becoming more and more popular.   The tail-cap activated switch is easy to use; you just need to determine if the light is easier to cycle on/off when the light is in the off position, the on position or if the tail switch is only momentary on/off switch.  The reason I say this is that I have found its best to cycle the light on and off while searching and I will explain this more later in the article.   The side activation light takes a little more practice but can be easily mastered.  In fact, the hand-held light I use the most is side-switch activated.  Under the stress of an actual event, if you use your fingertips, you will probably push the button down hard enough to keep it on continuously.  This lets the bad guy know where you are and that you’re coming.  What I have found is to use was the middle pad of the index or middle finger on the switch so all I have to do is to lightly flex/squeeze the hand the light was in to momentarily activate the light.  Even using this technique under the stress of force-on-force, I rarely pressed switch hard enough to keep the light on continuously.  

Techniques for Holding the Light

There are several techniques taught and used: Harries, FBI, modified FBI, neck index, Rogers and Surefire are some of the most common with some having more advantages than others.   I have used all of the above techniques and the one that I found works the best and most consistently for me in the modified FBI flashlight technique.  To perform this technique, you hold the light up, away and slightly to the front of your body.  While you cycle the light on and off, you also move it side to side and up and down.  What this does is allow you to use the light in an intermittent manner that the bad guy cannot easily adjust to and makes it harder for him to determine where you are.   I also like this technique for when I am peeking around the corner as my flashlight is above me and I am lock my pistol arm out into a solid, one-hand shooting position that is very stable. Another advantage of this technique is that the light is away from you and your eye level should accidentally shine your light on a very bright surface or a white wall, which can momentarily blind you with what is known as “flash bulb” effect.  With this technique I cannot only easily flash the light off of the ceiling or floor and I am less likely to flash my light off of the bright-colored corner that I am using for cover.   A third advantage of this technique has to do with personal safety.  It has been proven that if the bad guy has nothing other than your light to target, then that is what he’s going to shoot at.  This was debated within my department so I sent out request via a law enforcement email tree that I am a part of.  I immediately started receiving case after case where this had happened, sometimes with dire consequences for the officers involved.  Also, one of my instructors at a local college where I attend spoke of a partner he had when he worked the street.  His partner still carried the small metal light that had an indentation on it from a .22 caliber bullet that was shot at him by a bad guy who could only see his light so he assumed the officer was directly behind it and he shot at it.  Fortunately, the officer wasn’t.  

Caution for Weapon-Mounted Lights
The latest craze for combat/LE lighting is the weapon mounted lights.  I won’t go into long-guns since that is outside the purview of this article.  However, I will address hand guns.   When using a hand gun mounted light, you must practice, practice, and practice!  The reason I say this because many of the hand gun weapon lights take quite a bit of practice to use without hitting your trigger unintentionally.   There have been at least two incidents that I know of in the US where a police officer thought he was manipulating his weapon light under stress but it was actually his trigger.  These officers unintentionally shot another person.  The same thing nearly happened to one of my co-workers, but fortunately he realized he was hitting the trigger instead of his light switch.   Fortunately, some of the newer hand gun mounted lights come with remote, pressure-operated switches which will hopefully keep such a tragic thing from happening in the future.   Another consideration is if your particular handgun will function properly and repeatedly with your chosen ammunition while a light is mounted on it.  There have been many cases of hand guns having stovepipe and double-feed malfunctions because the weapon light causes the gun to be too rigid.  This is especially true of one of my favorite handguns, the .40 caliber Glock 22, Generation 2.  Fortunately, Glock seems to have rectified this problem with the generation 4 Glock 22s.  

Force-on-Force: The Crucible of Reality
Fortunately, I have the opportunity to use the intermittent flashlight technique in force-on-force training with outstanding results.  I have had role-players shoot at my light and/or where my light last flashed and they told me afterwards that they had no other option because they could not tell where I was.   Also, in another scenario, one of the naysayers in my department was the bad guy role player.  During this scenario, the role-player was to jump out and attack the officer once she knew the officer was close.  There are three of us that use the flashlight intermittently in the way I described earlier.  The role-player stated that she had to jump out early on the each of us that used this technique for 2 reasons:  The intermittent strobing effect was making her sick and she had no clue where we were or how close we were.   In real life situations, I have used this technique to clear buildings several times.  The first time I used it with one particular officer, he complained to me afterwards that it physically made him sick.  My comment to him was that if it did that to him then what does he think it would do to a bad guy!   

In another situation, I was with another officer who was trained in this technique and we had to deal with a mentally ill person who was armed with a knife and was threatening to kill himself.  Pepper spray was not initially affecting him and we don’t have Tasers, so we used our flashlight techniques to keep him off-balance and away from us as he was now swinging the knife at us.  The pepper spray eventually took effect and we were able to subdue him without injury to him or us.  So, good flashlight techniques can be used in other ways as well.  

Manufacturers
There are several good light manufacturers out there such as Streamlight, Surefire, UTG and Dorcy.  I like them all.   However, if you’re looking for light that will be your TEOTWAWKI light, then lean towards a light that can use regular batteries such as AA and AAA.  The reason I say this is that you will have need of these kind of batteries anyway so for redundancy, you should already have or are going to have, several of the batteries in rechargeable format with 1 or 2 rechargers anyway.   Many rechargeable flashlights have batteries that can only be used in their respective lights.  Also their charging stations are fairly flimsy as I have broken a couple of them through daily use in my cruiser and at home.  

Final Thoughts
I encourage each of you to experiment and train with the various flashlight techniques and find what works for you.  I am not saying that what I presented here is “the way” to use a flashlight, but only “a way” that I found works for me.   There are some good training videos out there and you can also find some good stuff on youtube.  Just remember that on youtube there is sometimes just as much bad stuff as there is good stuff.  Also, nothing can replace quality hands-on training from a reputable trainer.   There is a book that I would like to recommend to anyone who is a CCW permit holder, police officer, military, or who possess a handgun for self-defense.  It is The Modern Day Gunslinger, by Don Mann.It is the best book I have ever read in regards to handgun use and it has a chapter on flashlight use as well.   I will leave you with one my favorite quotes from page 369 of Don Mann’s book: “Self-defense handgun encounters aren’t typically complicated, but they are unforgiving of arrogance, recklessness, ignorance, carelessness, or neglect.”   Be safe, train hard and I pray for God’s Blessing on you all! – Officer Tackleberry